Two Pines: A Lake Tahoe A-Frame

It was just over a year ago that we got the keys to our cabin—a little A-frame on the west shore of Lake Tahoe—but I still feel just as lucky to drive up and see it as I did on that day.

We were up this weekend, sharing it with some friends, and I realized that I’d never really posted pictures of it on here. I’d started a draft just before the holidays, but then winter hit. And it hit hard!

The snow was amazing—beautiful and, for California and the lake, restorative. But the 12 feet of snow that fell over just two days followed by warm rains brought havoc to the region.

A tree fell on our cabin’s roof (thankfully no-one was hurt and the damage was minimal, considering); and the water table rose so dramatically that the cabin flooded on the basement level. Power outages across the region meant that we got one of the only generators available on the I-80 corridor. Grandparents drove it up to us and brought the children home, while we tried to minimize the damage from floods. We ended up ripping out all the carpet, and we’ve done some major landscaping changes to (hopefully) prevent future damage.

But now that things are back to normal, I’d love to share some photos.

We got the cabin fully furnished, but slowly have replaced most of those pictured above.

We replaced the table and chairs with help from West Elm—I really wanted a bench on one side for squeezing in more kids when we have another family join us.

And we swapped all of the light fixtures. I’m in love with this chandelier from Schoolhouse Electric. We needed something that would put out a lot of light on short, winter days, but I was initially drawn to the single globe pendants that seem so at home in A-frames. This brought the two together.

We’d love to put in a fireplace one day (most likely it would have to be a gas one), but the logistics are a bit daunting!

Not much changed in the kitchen. We replaced all of the silver hardware with matte black knobs and pulls throughout, which nonetheless made a big difference. I don’t have a good picture here, but we did also replace the counter stools, which was high on my wish-list.

There are two decks off of this floor—and while we definitely spend the most time in the back, they’re equally my favorite parts of the cabin.

We were puzzled at first when we saw that there was a roof over the hot tub (how can you see the stars?), but as soon as the first snow fell we realized how nice it is.

There’s a small watershed creek that run along the back of the cabin, with the lucky consequence being that the lot behind us is unoccupied. The neighborhood is pretty small and quiet anyway, but it’s a nice bonus. I’m sorry to say, however, that we did have to take down the zipline earlier this year. I’m hoping we’ll get to put it back up one day soon!

There are two bedrooms and a half-bath upstairs. I wrote about updating one of them. One funny note about this picture: we bought those tree-stump side tables and then decided to return them, figuring we could find somebody local who makes something similar. But no luck so far! The irony is that there are tree logs all around—but if they haven’t been treated for beetles, they can’t come in!

There are two more bathrooms—one on the basement level and one on the main floor.

We have some down-the-road updates in mind, like painting the cabinets, and swapping fixtures, etc., but I’m always amazed what a difference a shower curtain can make in the meantime.

Downstairs, there’s a single bed with a trundle and a queen bed, so this is where we usually bunk the kids. You can see it with carpet last fall, and after we installed new flooring this spring.

Of course the best part is getting outside and exploring Lake Tahoe. I’d never fully appreciated how incredible it is—in all seasons. There are trails leading into Ward Creek Park just down the road, and a bike trail to the lake (Hurricane Bay is a 10 minute walk), Sunnyside Resort, the West Shore Market, and Tahoe City. One day we’ll ride all the way to Squaw Valley resort, but we need the kids to work on their endurance first.